Perils of cap and trade

For the first time in my many years of reading the Orlando Sentinel, I finally found a topic that columnist Mike Thomas and I agree on: cap and trade ("Obama's carbon caps: Bad for U.S., worse for us," March 1).

As Thomas pointed out, cap-and-trade schemes such as the one proposed by the Obama administration will only serve to raise energy costs on all Americans. What's even more dubious about Obama's cap-and-trade plan: It is not a direct tax, but rather a system that forces utilities to purchase carbon permits; so once consumer costs go up, the government can point the finger at the utility company instead of at government itself -- the one forcing the utility companies to purchase the permits.

One thing Thomas didn't mention was cap and trade's history. In Europe, a similar cap-and-trade scheme failed miserably because of the expanded government "power-grab" and increased government-induced corruption. During that period, carbon emission actually rose by a greater percentage in Europe than in the United States.